County has two human West Nile cases

September 13, 2012

Two human cases of West Nile Virus (WNV) have now been confirmed in Adams County and there may be a third case, Environmental Director Terry Smith of the Adams County Health Department said Wednesday.
The municipalities will continue spraying and the public should check their property for containers with rainwater, Smith said
"The type of mosquito that spreads the disease, Culex, will not fly far from its breeding site and loves to come indoors to find a blood meal," Smith continued. "If one is keeping you awake, that is a Culex."
State officials said that as of Wednesday, there were 36 human cases of WNV in Indiana, ranging in age from 15 to 95. Allen County has had eight cases, including one fatality, while Wells County has had one confirmed cases.
Other counties with confirmed cases are as follows: Delaware, Fulton, Hamilton (2), Hancock, Jackson, Johnson, Lake (2), LaPorte, Marion (6 cases, 1 fatality), Monroe, Montgomery, Owen, Parke, Porter, Tippecanoe (3), and Vanderburgh (1 fatality).
There have also been two WNV positive blood donors who do not meet case definition, it was noted.
"The level of West Nile virus in the mosquito population remains quite high compared to normal, as the two most recent batches of mosquitoes tested had positive rates of 65 and 39 percent, respectively," the Indiana State Department of Health said in a news release.
The state department said it has collected and tested 116,342 mosquitoes from 92 counties, divided into 1620 pools. Eighty-two of Indiana's 92 counties have had mosquitoes test positive for WNV this year.
The number of equine cases reported has reached 18, including three in Adams County and two in Allen County.

West Nile virus is transmitted to a human by a mosquito that has first bitten an infected bird. A person who is bitten by an infected mosquito may show symptoms from three to 15 days after the bite.
Culex mosquitoes, which can carry the West Nile virus, breed in places like ditches, open septic systems, discarded tires, unused wading pools, and other assorted containers, particularly if they are in the shade. In urban areas, many sewer catch basins can be found holding not only water, but also thousands of Culex larvae and pupae.